Rich Douglass and J.S. Aber

Kite aerial photography has varied applications in agriculture for acquiring low-height, highly detailed imagery of crops, soils, and field treatments. The use of KAP for agriculture has been developed by Rich Douglass, an instructor at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska. He is instructing students in the method for crop scouting, which involves variability and estimates of crop yields and assessment of growing conditions. Based on the results of KAP, farmers can be advised about means to increase crop yield and net income through improved field treatments or management.

Douglass began his KAP experience in 1998, when he visited Emporia State University, Kansas to practice basic KAP methods with J.S. Aber. The success of this venture led to further efforts to develop KAP equipment and techniques suited for crop-scouting applications. Douglass
currently employs a Fujifilm 700 digital camera (1280 by 1024 pixel resolution) and plans to use a 1600x1200 camera soon. A digital camera has the advantage of returning images "instantly" for analysis in the field and quick consultation with farmers. As far as we are aware, this is the first and only use of kite aerial photography for precision agriculture in the country.